Google to expand Shilin AI R&D center in Taipei, says computing demand is growing about 10x a year

Google said it will expand its AI infrastructure research and development center in Taipei’s Shilin district, adding 60% more office space, according to remarks delivered by Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of AI Infrastructure Amin Vahdat at SEMICON Taiwan 2026. The company did not disclose the size of the investment, how many people it plans to hire, or when the expansion will be completed. Vahdat said Taiwan’s role inside Google’s AI hardware stack now goes beyond manufacturing and extends into co-design of full systems, including advanced packaging, liquid cooling, and high-power delivery. He also described Taiwan as Google’s largest hardware engineering R&D base outside the United States. The Shilin center opened at the end of 2025 and has more than 10 laboratories with hundreds of employees. Vahdat added that demand for computing power is rising at about 10x per year as AI models and services improve, and said the main constraint over the next 18 months could shift quickly between power supply, chip availability, memory, cooling, rack lead times, and networking.